Mutualistic Networks: Structure, Function, and Response to Perturbations
Mutualisms are species interactions that are mutually beneficial, including cleaning mutualisms, seed dispersal, and pollination among many others. In nature, most mutualistic interactions are generalized, with any given species interacting with many other partner species. The interactions between pairs of species scale up to form networks, which have a characteristic set of structural properties that are widely consistent across different species, interaction types, and ecosystems.